37S R&dMr,ETimeH6kihd^'i^^^^'^ [Nov 



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iii-iicKog Yi.v^o ^.^i^^ ^^^.^ j^ j^^ ^^.^^^^^^^^_ ,ra"{fs 



xjifimsi .t^:(To tlie Editors of the Annals of r/ii/usophi/i.))[i£i ^isin 



'^^^ ;6^TLt:MEN; ; ; J^Jj^ ^^ Great On. hum. SV;,/. f.^mW^. 



^ , SiNCB the discovery^oT "galvanism, the powers of eleftSiiity 

 as a chemical agent, have been clearly made out^ yet this part of 

 science is not fully developed; every fact, therefore, which 

 throws f^ny light upon the subject is of importance, since from 

 phenomena we discover the laws of nature, ^• 



Those bodies which can enter into chemical union, stand^^fi 

 different electrical relations to each other; when a compound is 

 ,^^posed to the action of the galvanic series, its elements are 

 separated from each other; oxygen and acid matter generally 

 iend to the positive pole, whilst hydrogen and inflammable 

 matter appear at the negative. Hence philosophers generally 

 explain chemical combination and decomposition upon the prin- 

 ciples of electrical attraction and repulsion : and the theory 

 most generally received is that the ultimate particles of matter 

 possess certain electrical energies, which are immutable ; 

 oxygen, upon this hypothesis, is nighly negative, and all acids 

 possess the negative energy in different degrees of intensity; 

 whilst inflammable bodies and bases have various dejxrees of 

 pos^^y;^ energy ; hence, snice there is an attraction between two 

 bodies, when one is in a positive and the other in a negative 

 §i^^te, oxygen can combine with inflammable matter, and acids 

 with the different bases ; also since oxygen is negative, it w ill 

 tend to the positive pole, and inflammable bodies will arrange 

 th^emselves at the negative. Chemical philosophers are not 

 agfeed respecting the existence of electric energies, and in fact, 

 fg t|^^ (Present state of science, it is impossible to set the ques- 

 l^o^^.at^js^fj^ r^^^sou^, almost of equal weight, may be advauted 

 ji^ ,siipp9rt pf. ^nd against their existence. " , , I ^' " V it 

 '^^'Tjiatjjhe elementary particles of matter may iiave'^ttflarJ4^ 

 energies, appears from many electrical facts : lay a' ,ptlli'ck'^^iit 

 ib]::>o^ ypon a white one, and excite them, by drawing t^ein 



I 



rqu^ ,^ny: soft exciting substance; no signs, or at most, very 

 ,eet)Ieon^s, of excitation will appear; separate them, and ibc y 

 'Wu PjOSsejSs the opposite states of electricity ; replace them, 

 ^di the Electricity disappears ; and on separating and replacing 

 t^ep alternately, the signs of electricity mav be exhibited or 

 jji^ppressed mapy times with one excitation. These phenomena 

 jmaV be exhibited by all non- conducting substances; but^|if 

 coiiductors be insulated, and electrified with tlje opposite powers, 

 on bringing them together, an equilibrium is produced, and on 



